Intercultural Mentorship Program

Intercultural communication is becoming increasingly important in today’s global environment where personal and professional success implies the ability to communicate across cultures and to draw from all perspectives, experiences and worldviews. This ability to see beyond one’s own culture promotes empathy for others while encouraging a degree of critical thinking about one’s own cultural position.

At Red River College, The Intercultural Mentorship Program looks at offering students and staff opportunities to make friends, learn about other cultures, develop awareness of own cultural lens, strengthening the sense of community and creating a welcoming and inclusive campus. It is an experiential program, i.e. “learning by doing”, engaging participants in intercultural interactions, encouraging reflection and critical thinking and enhancing or developing skills or new ways of thinking, and contributing to Community Engagement Service Learning.

The Intercultural Mentorship Program is a one-on-one Local-Global Partnership, where an immigrant/international student is matched with a Canadian-raised student or staff for intercultural exchange, practice of communication skills and friendship over the course of a term. It is also an opportunity for participants to practice their leadership skills, to collaborate in establishing goals and planning activities as well as exploring Winnipeg together. And…most importantly: have fun!

Students from all academic programs can apply.

Commitment is 10 hours of time over the course of a term. The program runs twice a year and starts at the beginning of the fall and the winter academic terms.

The program is a voluntary opportunity. However, some academic programs also partner with the Diversity and Intercultural Services department to offer the Intercultural Mentorship Program as a graded assignment option to students.

The roll out for Term 1, 2017-18 is as follows:

Applications by: September 17, 2017

Attend your orientation by: October 6, 2017

Complete your meeting hours by: December 3, 2017

Complete reflection survey and meeting log by: December 3, 2017

“Not only finding someone to be there and help you but also putting yourself out there to explore new experiences and finding your own way to blend in the community but still state who you are and where you are from.”– Global Mentor

“I feel the program benefitted me most in that just not making assumptions but asking questions to get to know someone in a nonjudgmental way is a good way to start to know someone. So that I can build cross-cultural skills.” – Local Mentor